Revelation 12:12 (ASV)

Passage

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.

Nearby Context

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.

Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.

Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man [child].

Revelation 12:14 And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "rejoice", "heavens", "dwell", "earth", "devil", "gone", and "down". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "rejoice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And they overcame him because of the..." into verse 13's "And when the dragon saw that he...", so "therefore" and "rejoice" belong inside that flow. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "rejoice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.